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Canada's Top Ten Weather Stories for 2011

A Year in Review - 2011 Weather Stories

From floods to fire, melting Arctic seas, heat waves, blizzards, hurricanes and tornados - 2011 was a weather year to remember. Canadians from coast to coast to coast were affected by this year's weather extremes and their insurance companies reported the second most expensive year for weather losses. Read the full story

The Top Ten

1. Historic Flood Fights in the West

Known as the flood that would never end and the spring flood that became the summer flood; the 2011 Prairie flooding featured the highest water levels and flows in modern history across parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Read the full story.- Prairies

2. Slave Lake Burning

Perfect fire conditions were in place last May, so when a fire started, the blaze, aided by 100 km/h winds, spread quickly. One-third of the homes and businesses in Slave Lake (about 400 structures) were incinerated in the 1000°C heat – reduced to burnt concrete, twisted steel and blackened rubble. Read the full story.- Slave Lake, Alberta

3. Richelieu Flooding…Quebec’s Longest-Lived Disaster

The Richelieu flood was arguably the worst overland flooding in southern Quebec this century. Hundreds of roads were damaged, parts of the shoreline were swept away, and thousands of hectares of farmland were submerged. Fish swam where grain should have been growing. Read the full story.- Southern Quebec

4. Down on the Farm: Doom to Boom

Farmers across the country faced prolonged flooding; but weather fortunes changed for many late in the season. In the end, wavering weather created a multitude of outcomes ranging from doom to boom depending on the crop and location. Read the full story.-Across Canada

5. Tornado Goderich in a Wild Week of Weather

After a relatively quiet summer, a wild week of weather hit Ontario, starting with Goderich on August 21st. In less than two minutes, a tornado ripped through the picturesque community, with unbelievable damage; killing one person and injuring forty others. Only three days later, dark clouds and lightning rolled in and another three tornados occurred across Ontario. Read the full story.- Ontario

6. Good Night, Irene...and, Katia, Maria and Ophelia

From Arlene to Sean, 19 tropical storms formed in the Atlantic basin – well above the long-term average of 11. Only six became full-blown hurricanes, with three logged as major at Category 3 or higher: Irene, Katia and Ophelia. The busy storm season reflected a continuation of above-normal activity that began in 1995. Read the full story.- Atlantic

7. Summer: Hummer or Bummer?

On the first day of summer, temperatures were on the rise from Saskatchewan to Quebec, blanketing millions of Canadians in warmth and sunshine. But, for those on the west and east coasts it was a different story altogether as they endured cool temperatures, endless rain and overcast or foggy skies. Read the full story.- Across Canada

8. Arctic Sea Ice near Record Low

According to Environment Canada and the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado, sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean declined to its second-lowest extent on record in September 2011. The near-record ice melt was surprising owing to the absence of the unusual warm weather and oceanic conditions that contributed to the super melt in 2007. Read the full story.- Arctic

9. Groundhog Day Storm: Snowmageddon or Snowbigdeal?

During the last week of January, meteorologists warned of a storm that could affect 100 million people from New Mexico to Newfoundland. For portions of southern Ontario the storm had more bark than bite. But, blizzard conditions did take hold from Lake Huron to Niagara, and; over Quebec and the Maritimes, the storm lasted two days depositing between 20 and 50 cm of snow. Read the full story.- Ontario, Quebec, Maritimes

10. Wicked Winds from the West

Southern Alberta is one of the windiest regions in Canada. During the last week of November, some of the most powerful winds ever recorded in the area ripped across southern Alberta, including Calgary, inflicting millions of dollars in property damages. Read the full story.- Southern Alberta